Reading

 

I’m an instructor, and, unfortunately, I’ve seen many shooters read articles and watch videos and try to incorporate what is said. It causes them to think too much rather than shoot. No offense, but shouldn’t shooters just shoot instead of reading a bunch of articles?

 

Reading too much and exposing oneself to conflicting information can be a hazard. Many shooters — frankly, those who are not willing to put in the work — overdose on information in a fruitless attempt to find “the silver bullet,” the fairy dust that will propel him or her to the top of the leaderboard. There is no substitute for shooting and time behind the shotgun. On the other hand, in order for any shooter to advance, he must evolve by gradually incorporating positive change in the form of changes in fundamentals and techniques.

Understand that a shooter, any shooter, will shoot his best when he shoots “in the subconscious,” without conscious thought about technique and by simply looking at the target. Incorporating positive change will indeed cause a momentary decrease in performance, because he will now be thinking consciously about the change he is incorporating. By shooting in the conscious and thinking about what he is doing, instead of “just shooting,” he will never shoot as well. The goal, however, whenever we attempt to implement positive change into any aspect of our game, is to relegate the improvement to the subconscious through practice and repetition. In so doing, the shooter returns to subconscious shooting with enhanced proficiency.

My advice is to keep it simple. Reading, watching and listening to everything you can get your hands on is not the right answer and can indeed be counterproductive. The formula for continuous improvement is:
1) shoot a lot, 2) take regular lessons initially and periodic lessons thereafter, from a single coach (although there is nothing wrong with taking a lesson or two from another instructor), 3) when you attempt to incorporate something new into your game and relegate it to the subconscious, practice and repetition are key, and 4) expose yourself to informational material that compliments your lessons, style of shooting, and your progression, and dismiss the rest.